Curcumin inhibited growth of human melanoma A375 cells via inciting oxidative stress

Biomed Pharmacother. 2017 Nov:95:1177-1186. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.09.026. Epub 2017 Oct 6.

Abstract

Curcumin, a polyphenol compound, possesses potent pharmacological properties in preventing cancers, which make it as a potential anti-cancer mediator. However, it is still unknown that whether Curcumin induced melanoma A375 cell was associated with oxidative stress. Here, we firstly found a fascinating result that Curcumin could reduce the proliferation and induced apoptosis of human melanoma A375 cells. Meanwhile, IC50 of Curcumin on A375 cells is 80μM at 48h. In addition, Curcumin caused oxidative stress through inducing further ROS burst, decreasing GSH, and wrecking mitochondria membrane potential (MMP), which were reversed by ROS inhibitor N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Moreover, MMP disruption led to the release of Cytochrome c from mitochondria and subsequently led to intracellular apoptosis. Furthermore, we found that ROS-dependent HIF-1α and its downstream proteins also play an important role on Curcumin induced apoptosis. In conclusion, our results shed new lights on the therapy of melanoma that Curcumin may be a promising candidate.

Keywords: Apoptosis; Cell cycle arrest; Curcumin; Melanoma; ROS.

MeSH terms

  • Acetylcysteine / pharmacology
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Cell Cycle Checkpoints / drug effects
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Curcumin / pharmacology*
  • Humans
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / metabolism
  • Melanoma / metabolism
  • Melanoma / pathology*
  • Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / drug effects
  • Oxidative Stress / drug effects*
  • Time Factors
  • Up-Regulation / drug effects

Substances

  • HIF1A protein, human
  • Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit
  • Curcumin
  • Acetylcysteine